Xerin Hedashield/Relationships
The relationships of Xerin Hedashield in Across the Portal. Family Friends Omnipotent One It is unknown how Xerin Hedashield felt about fellow school student the Omnipotent One, but she made him a complex antidote when he was feeling ill. While he was fond of her, he had no idea she was behind the Third Order. Vlaire During her junior high education, Xerin befriended a girl named Vlaire, a girl who, like her, was ambitious and was good at projecting a "sweet little girl" facade. The two became the best of friends. She came to love Xerin with a passion, and while she appreciated Vlaire in turn, she felt no real emotional attachment to her. The two spent a lot of time together and enjoyed initiating numerous "nasty incidents" that happened throughout their time at school that the authorities were never completely able to link to them. The two sadly bade each other goodbye after Hedashield fled to Der Erebolten. B'en'jamin Thorrn Xerin seems to have a peculiar love-hate relationship with Padawan Learner B'en'jamin Thorrn. Xerin first met B'en in a field when she followed them, pretending to be acting on the orders of Master Yoda. The two, along with Kristen, spent a night at Hedashield's apartment, which she concealed as the Third Order's headquarters. Hedashield became very fond of Thorrn during this time. In turn, Thorrn developed a crush on Hedashield, who was one of the few people to voluntarily show him kindness and compassion, to the extent that she even began to call him "Mr. Handsome". The two parted ways, though she later encountered Thorrn during the Skirmish on Coruscant, where Thorrn was horrified to learn who Hedashield really was. On the other hand, she greatly longed to turn him to the Dark side and train him. Although Hedashield only saw Thorrn twice prior to the Battle of Coruscant, the two formed a legitimate emotional connection in Kristen's absence, bonding over their negative views of the Jedi Order and their shared vendetta against Kristen. During said battle, Thorrn accompanied Hedashield and she tried swaying him to the Dark side to no avail. As a result, she captured him, though this turned out to be the point where Thorrn made a critical decision, as he had been growing distant from Kristen and Jedi Grandmaster Yoda for two completely different reasons, and he was already in love with Hedashield, thinking his encounters with her were some of the best things that ever happened to him. He was also overwhelmed by her mercy and his physical attraction to her. In turn, Hedashield agreed he had every right to be furious regarding his belief that the Jedi had brainwashed him and attempted to warp his destiny, causing him to yearn for her approval instead of Yoda's. Following the Battle of Coruscant, Hedashield began training him, and he eventually captured Kristen for her, earning her trust as the Pearian had until then proven impossible to imprison by any means. It is clear that Hedashield was emotionally moved by his desire for her and his loyalty. He continued serving her until the Battle of Mustafar. Apparently, Xerin was the only one who seemed to be able to sway Thorrn's decision one way or another. He respected her knowledge and appreciated her training. Xerin initially defended reciprocating his feelings for her, insisting that their relationship was "a strictly professional partnership", but she quickly began to open up to him. The two began bonding romantically and eventually fell in love, despite being a good thirteen years apart in age. It is said that their relationship was intense and passionate. It is known that the two were sexually involved. Thorrn indeed claimed that he loved her in a girlfriend-like way. It is also worth noting that despite having little regard for flattery, they still give each other affectionate compliments that they both take seriously betwixt them both. Hedashield would always speak to Thorrn with her mind before either of them made an important decision. This level of cooperation and consideration for each other indicates that Thorrn works very well with the Supreme Leader. Thorrn initially considered her a benevolent caretaker and she initially considered him a very handsome and potent ally, but their desires to get things out of each other eventually turned into genuine love and romantic affection for each other. Hedashield was heartbroken when he betrayed her, which weighed on him despite knowing he had finally done something right. Perhaps a major reason they bonded together so quickly was that they had a lot in common. Both of them wanted to fix the organization they hailed from (the Republic and the Jedi), which they blamed for permanently separating them from their parents, and destroy it if it proved irreparable. In addition, both Hedashield and Thorrn progressed quickly in their educations and despite being well known for their brilliance preferred to be self-taught. Both of them were curious about the Dark side of the Force and relished the chance to begin using it. Both of them felt lonely and friendless and unable to trust anyone, apart from each other. Neither of them got along with Darth Mutialatus and tolerated him knowing they were in it together. Both of them pretended to be neutral about killing when they were actually haunted by the lives they claimed and took no pleasure in taking future lives, despite agreeing it was inevitable they would have no choice. Hedashield may have seen him as a loving and trustworthy friend who shared the same hatred for the Jedi Order as she had for the ancient religion. The only thing that differs between Hedashield and Thorrn's attitudes towards the Jedi Order is murder; Hedashield uncharacteristically enjoyed murdering a batallion of one hundred Jedi Knights, while Thorrn did not murder any Jedi. However, there were differences between Hedashield and Thorrn. Hedashield had always considered Kristen a grave threat to her devices and wanted her either dead or converted to evil, preferably the latter, very badly. Thorrn, on the other hand, loved Kristen almost immediately after meeting her, which was a major reason he realized what the Third Order was destined to bring about and defected. Another difference was that while Thorrn was an active adolescent who never ignored a chance to take physically demanding matters into his own hands, Hedashield was a sedentary woman who preferred to let others do her dirty work. Third Order members Those who served the Third Order followed Xerin Hedashield, fighting as the upper echelon of her army during the Conflict of the Numbers. However, Hedashield did not take kindly to failure or disloyalty from her servants, and she made sure those who had failed to carry out important tasks paid the price. It is unclear if she truly valued them or was merely using them, but Hedashield knew almost all of her followers were loyal entirely to the cause, not to the woman herself, as the few members in which she placed any genuine trust were Darth Mutialatus and Yaxa though, as time passed, she lost trust in them due to constant failures or wavering trust. The one member of the Third Order she appeared to trust unconditionally was B'en'jamin Thorrn. Hedashield greatly appreciated his loyalty. Some of Hedashield's known followers were Marion, General Gore, Captain Cole, the Captain, and Lieutenant Juliah. ]] Captain Cole defected after becoming disillusioned with the Third Order lifestyle, hoping to impress Darth Mutialatus. Darth Mutialatus Darth Mutialatus was the apprentice of Xerin Hedashield and, as a result, her most loyal and trusted follower. He held a deep respect for his mistress and listened to her teachings closely. She considered him of great importance, believing that he was destined for greatness beyond imagining. However, upon the escapes of Kristen and of B'en'jamin Thorrn, Hedashield was infuriated and began rethinking her apprentice's future, planning to change his purpose or kill him due to his instability. Hedashield's faith in her apprentice was irreparably damaged, and the young woman began to see Mutialatus as little more than an instrument, calling him a wannabe galactic overlord. It would seem Xerin was particularly brutal towards him, as she felt threatened by his connection to the Dark side of the Force, which no other known Third Order individuals possessed, and clearly had to take extreme measures to remain the alpha in their relationship. Captain Cole Xerin initially was good friends with Captain Cole, captain of the Third Order, since he viewed her as his best bet to become a Sith Lord. Whether Xerin knew this is unknown, though unlikely. The two of them shared similar ideologies. While Hedashield continued to trust and possibly even like Cole, Cole realized just how barbaric the Third Order was and decided that he didn't want to serve her anymore, instead opting to claim her life to stop all that she would do. He pretended to remain loyal, however, as he later told B'en'jamin Thorrn that quitting the Order was not an option in his eyes. Though she claimed she regretted the necessity of Cole's death at the hands of Darth Mutialatus, Xerin showed neither sadness nor concern for the loss of Cole's life. Curiously, she had the false impression that Cole realized Darth Mutialatus may have intended on overthrowing her someday, and based on that assumption, betrayed her and sought to take her life in order to impress her right-hand man. The Captain Xerin had a good relationship with Captain Cole's successor, known only as "the Captain". The two of them agreed on practically everything. He eventually admitted to her that he thought he owed her a great debt since she had saved his life once, confusing her as she did not believe there was a debt to be paid. Despite this, he continued serving her cause. There was no crime he was unwilling to commit if that could allow him to assist Hedashield. He proved key to the survival of the cause and was willing to do anything to see its goals accomplished. The Captain would do anything he possibly could to serve and please Xerin. Xerin, ever appreciative of genuine loyalty to her, trusted him enough to protect her during the Battle of Mustafar. Given that he put up an excellent fight despite ultimately being defeated, it can be assumed Xerin was proud of him posthumously. However, she may have also been frustrated because he nearly got her killed in his final attempt on Yoda's life. Enemies Kristen Xerin and Kristen have been enemies ever since Kristen turned up in the Star Wars galaxy. Hedashield is very convinced of her power, believing even she does not know it. Initially, she was interested in turning Kristen to the Dark Side of the Force, but eventually became disenchanted with her. Viewing her loyalty to the Jedi Order as "shortsighted and ultimately unbreakable", Hedashield wanted her dead very badly and in so doing, wipe out the fabled Pearian once and for all. References Hedashield, Xerin